FacebookXLinkedInYouTube

Dennis.Harrison@jaxlegalaid.org

About Dennis Harrison

This author has not yet filled in any details.
So far Dennis Harrison has created 320 blog entries.

Nick Pulignano comes to the aid of a family facing dangerous mold contamination

While there is a process for lawfully withholding rent when a landlord has not repaired unsafe conditions in a rental property, that does not always result in a satisfactory outcome for the tenant. Christina McEuen recently faced such a situation. Luckily, she came to Jacksonville Area Legal Aid and attorney Nick Pulignano was willing to step in to volunteer his time to assist McEuen after several private firms declined her case.

2021-06-04T10:23:31-04:00June 4th, 2021|News, Pro Bono|

CDC eviction moratorium ends June 30: Here’s where to get help

Right now hundreds of people are facing eviction in Duval County. According to the Duval County Clerk of Courts Office, more than 450 evictions were filed in May, which is down from 940 in January. An estimated one in five renters are behind on payments. If you are being faced with an eviction lawsuit, Jacksonville Area Legal Aid has an online tool to help you create a legal response.

2021-06-02T11:46:32-04:00June 2nd, 2021|Fair Housing, News|

Veterans achieves legal ownership of inherited property with help from JALA

Rodney came to JALA’s Clay County office seeking help with probate on an estate he had inherited. Since he was a veteran, he was referred to JALA’s Veterans Services Unit. Declan Duffy, who leads the unit, drafted two separate petitions and three corresponding orders and filed each of them with the Clay County Clerk of Courts. These included an order to admit the will and one for homestead status on the family home.

2021-05-21T10:47:22-04:00May 21st, 2021|Client Stories, Fair Housing, Veterans Services|

JALA attorneys work together to help Army veteran retain custody of her baby

“Julia,” 26, a U.S. Army veteran and mother of three, became pregnant and moved to Jacksonville to begin a new life with children, her partner and their soon-to-be-born child. But with the stress of the pandemic, cracks appeared in their relationship. After being with her for their baby’s birth, the father told Julia that he was going to take the baby to see his parents, who were visiting from out of town. Julia agreed. But it turned out that the baby’s father was in fact headed out of state with the baby. When she begged him to return, he refused.

2021-05-14T11:54:55-04:00May 14th, 2021|Client Stories, Family Law, Veterans Services|

Homegrown attorney Stephen Pitel leads JALA’s medical-legal partnership

A Jacksonville native, Stephen Pitel went to law school in Vermont knowing he wanted to practice public interest law, so when he found an opportunity to work at Jacksonville Area Legal Aid in 2015, he took it. “I couldn’t say ‘yes’ fast enough,” Stephen said. After serving as director of JALA’s Fair Housing Unit, Stephen became director of the Northeast Florida Medical-Legal Partnership (NFMLP) in 2019.

2021-05-10T14:50:49-04:00May 10th, 2021|Children's Health, News|

Florida Supreme Court Considers Rule Placing New Restrictions On Legal Aid Funding

If you are accused of a crime, you are entitled to a lawyer, even if you can’t afford one. But in civil cases, — things like evictions, foreclosures, or wrongful denial of government assistance — there is no guarantee of an attorney. These cases can be nearly impossible to navigate without representation, leaving many low-income people at a disadvantage. So in many places, legal aid organizations provide free legal representation to low-income people in civil cases. A new rule under consideration by the Florida Supreme Court would limit the way that legal aid groups can use certain funding, effectively curtailing the ability of legal aid firms to innovate and prepare for the future, according to opponents of the proposal.

2021-05-07T08:34:54-04:00May 7th, 2021|News|

Answers to 3 commonly asked questions about tenants’ legal rights

News4Jax phones were ringing off the hook Thursday morning when they offered viewers a chance to receive free legal advice from Jacksonville Area Legal Aid lawyers who were at News4Jax to answer questions about a tenant’s legal rights. News4Jax partnered with JALA to offer the phone bank after the I-TEAM investigation Rodent Residential uncovered a mice infestation at the Hilltop Village Apartments. Here are the answers to the three most commonly asked questions:

2021-04-30T12:27:12-04:00April 30th, 2021|Fair Housing, News|

JALA enables tenant to break lease on mold-infested apartment without penalty

One day, “Anais,” who lived in a subsidized apartment with her 14-year-old son, noticed severe mold and mildew in the living room air vents of her apartment. Soon, the infestation had spread throughout the unit. Anais has an autoimmune disease, and after the mold was discovered, her doctor diagnosed her with respiratory ailments that required treatment and medication.

2021-04-07T17:12:27-04:00April 7th, 2021|Children's Health, Client Stories, Fair Housing|

JALA helps veteran become legal guardian and keep teenager out of foster care

“James,” 70, had helped raise “Cole” since he was born in 2007. A veteran living primarily off his Social Security income, he had known Cole’s mother for almost two decades and had allowed her and Cole to live in his home even though they were not related. She and Cole had been abandoned by Cole’s father, and James had become a role model and source of stability in the young boy’s life.

2021-05-04T12:41:41-04:00March 31st, 2021|Client Stories, Veterans Services|

Jacksonville Office

Serving Residents of
Duval County
126 W. Adams St.
Jacksonville, FL 32202
(904) 356-8371

Privacy Policy

St. Johns County Legal Aid

Serving Residents of
St. Johns County
222 San Marco Avenue
St. Augustine, FL 32084
(904) 827-9921

Clay County Legal Aid

Serving Residents of
Clay County
825 N. Orange Avenue, Rm 308
Green Cove Springs, FL 32043
(904) 284-8410

Nassau County Legal Aid

Serving Residents of
Nassau County
1901 Island Walk Way, Suite 111
Fernandina Beach, FL 32034
(904) 356-8371
X
Go to Top